Against School Policy
by Azurevi
Summary: Professor Sesshoumaru Saiga has a serious problem with one of his students; he's in love with her. Can he keep his paws to himself for the year it takes her to graduate? Sometimes instincts are stronger than school policy!
1. Mocha

**I know I know... ANOTHER story -_- this one is being written for Dokuga's Cherry On Top challenge. 31 flavors means 31 chapters ~.^ **

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru blocked a round-house kick aimed at his stomach and flipped his unfortunate sparring partner with ease.<p>

"Your form is sloppy." He commented blandly.

"Shut up." His half-brother growled from the floor.

"You are put off-balance when you overextend your reach."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha kipped up to his feet and lunged at Sesshoumaru, nearly landing a punch.

"Better. But your anger is ruling you now." He side-stepped and neatly dodged another kick.

"You just don't know how to quit being a damn teacher do you?"

"Saiga-sensei!" A young man called from the other room and both silver-haired individuals looked up.

"Erm… I-Inuyasha-sensei." He clarified.

"What?"

"You told me to let you know when-"

"Ah yeah, my next class. Get out of here ya bastard. Take out all that aggression on your students." He strode off the sparring mat, waving off Sesshoumaru as he went.

The elder Saiga quickly changed in the office of the dojo, exchanging his gi for black slacks and a charcoal silk dress shirt. He didn't spare a glance to where Inuyasha was starting his advanced martial arts class but heard the thud as the first black-belted student tried to take on their sensei.

Sesshomaru's faint smirk turned to a sigh as he looked at the beautiful early fall day. It was cheerful and full of hope and new smells and perky new people. It marked the new beginning of a school year.

He hated it.

It was the reason for his early morning trip to the dojo his half-brother owned. He had to expel some of the tension before he started another year. He'd have to start all over as most of his students had already attained their doctorates and moved on. He hated new students. All of whom would have to be trained, who had no idea how to act courteously to a taiyoukai and would undoubtedly offend his nose with their undeniable _humanness._ Then of course there were the females, the dratted bane of his existence. Their simpering and hormone-driven inappropriate flirting. It was like they'd never seen a male before in their lives.

He flicked his heavy silver braid over his shoulder as he strode down the sidewalk to his first class. Those in his path quickly moved out of the way, even the jocks had learned their place after he'd bodily escorted the inebriated rugby team off campus when a party got too loud after lights-out.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" A charmingly childish voice hailed him and he froze mid-step, closing his eyes in annoyance.

_No. Not now._ He thought, willing her away. He wanted to hold on to his bad mood, not feel uplifted.

"You forgot your lunch at home!" His adopted daughter, Rin, was running towards him, bento box in one hand and lopsided pigtail streaming behind her.

He sighed and resigned himself to being cheered up, catching her as she catapulted into his arms.

"I packed your FAVORITE lunch today!" She didn't complain as he set her firmly back on her feet.

"Where are your manners?" He scolded half-heartedly.

"Apologies Sesshoumaru-sama." She murmured, looking at her toes. "Rin knows you hate the first day of school and thought you needed a hug."

_Curse her for being so adorable._ He valiantly tried to keep up his glower but sighed again and gave up when she raised sincere mocha-colored eyes to his face. "You are forgiven. Should you not be at school?"

An impish grin showed her to be missing a tooth. "I told Jaken-san it was an emergency."

"You will return at once." He ordered, taking the bento box from her.

The tempting scents of fresh sushi wafted out of it and he closed his eyes half-way, savoring the aroma. She really had gotten his favorite. When he focused back on Rin he found her grinning from ear-to-ear and knew he'd been caught.

She looked around as discreetly as a six-year-old was able and beckoned him closer. When he complied and stooped to put his ear by her mouth she kissed his cheek and whispered. "Have a good day father."

"Be respectful of your sensei." He commanded as he straightened.

She bowed and scampered back to where a black car was waiting with his harried chauffeur inside.

Sesshoumaru watched until she was inside and then continued walking to his first class of the new semester, Youkai History and Mythology. He tried to remember why he hated being a professor, coming up blank. It wasn't until he heard a giggle and saw a flash of long black hair as a young woman jerked away from the window that he remembered. He hated female students.

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>


	2. Butter Brickle

Kagome stared down at her schedule, willing it to disintegrate on the spot. It didn't.

_Damnit! They know I'm not a morning person! How could the schedule me for three hours of lecture at 9am! That's just cruel!_ She lamented as she slumped against the window sill, staring out on the pristine front lawn of the graduate school.

A figure caught her eye and she recognized him immediately. Professor Saiga, head of the history department and co-founder of the school. A taiyoukai of unimaginable age and power. She only knew this from reputation, she'd never actually met the man, but she'd heard he was chillier than liquid nitrogen in the arctic circle and the most demanding professor at the school.

She also heard that he was more attractive than Johnny Depp, Jensen Ackles and Rain put together. From what she could see, that at least was true. He was tall with broad shoulders and a long stride. His long silver hair was loosely restrained in a braid and his demonic markings were eye-catching to say the least. She couldn't tell from where she was but she'd seen pictures and knew that his eyes were golden too.

As she watched a little girl catapulted herself at the seemingly impassive taiyoukai. He caught her and set her down, looking stern. But before the little girl left she kissed him on the cheek and he watched as she ran across the lawn.

_Holy butter brickle that's the cutest damn thing I've ever seen_. Kagome giggled and leapt back from the mirror when Professor Saiga looked up sharply at the sound, blushing furiously.

"Kagome!" Her best friend, Miroku, hailed her. "We have the same class!"

"Joy." She fell into step next to him. "Mornings with Mr. Handsy."

"You know I don't grope you before noon!" He exclaimed, looking wounded. "I'm not suicidal!"

"Hmph."

"And you shouldn't complain." He winked. "Professor Saiga teaches this class."

"So?"

"Ah I see, so that wasn't him you were just ogling?" He grinned at her spluttered protest. "It is only natural to be attracted, taiyoukai are notoriously beautiful."

"_Handsome._" Kagome corrected.

"Attractive." He amended. "Just don't get your hopes up. At all."

"Oh please. He's a professor. And taiyoukai. That's like, super illegal."

"_Restricted_ not illegal." He smiled and held the door to the classroom open for her. "You know the rules as well as I do."

She shrugged. "No bond, no sex."

"Indeed." He patted her on the head with a gentle smile. "But you were right about the professor part being illegal, that definitely is."

They were stopped by a bright-eyed young kisune youkai who looked no more than sixteen. He handed them each a master syllabus when they gave their names.

Kagome looked at hers, when she'd told the kitsune that it was her first time having Saiga as a professor he'd given her the biggest pamphlet she'd ever seen.

"I'm Shippo! I'm Professor Saiga's teaching assistant."

"Nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Wow so you two are the houshi and miko." He nodded happily. "I can tell. Sit at the front; Professor Saiga's always been interested in reiki."

Miroku and Kagome complied, taking seats at the only two desks in the front row that weren't occupied by excited girls. Miroku didn't seem to mind but Kagome rolled her eyes.

"So he could tell we have sacred powers." Miroku murmured, slanting a look at her, his violet eyes sharp despite his relaxed posture. "Could you feel his youki?"

"Yeah. But it's faint, like he's masking it." She smiled abashedly when the kitsune looked over at them from across the room and winked. "He also has excellent hearing."

"If you think that's impressive, wait for Professor Saiga. I've only felt him once when his youki was partially unmasked and it was like drowning in swords." Miroku shuddered lightly before shooting her a grin. "But as long as you're here I'm safe."

"What do you mean?"

"Professor Saiga is notorious for being colder and more demanding of his female students."

Kagome groaned. "Oh man this is gonna be a rough semester."


	3. Peach

Sesshoumaru steeled himself before stepping into the classroom. He didn't have to teach undergraduate classes, thank kami, but sometimes his PhD students were even worse. They fancied themselves adults and could be arrogant little troublemakers.

"Morning Professor Saiga!" The chipper voice of his teaching assistant forced him to enter the classroom, not wanting to be accused of dawdling unnecessarily.

He nodded to the boy, an orphaned kitsune he'd adopted when the child only had one tail, then scanned the students, barely a dozen, and all the females were in the front row. He noted that the males in the class seemed to be watching a certain female chatting animatedly with a male student he'd had before and steeled himself before looking at her.

She was not unattractive, for a human. Her long black hair fell in soft waves around her upper body and her face was delicately and stubbornly structured. It wasn't until she turned to him that he realized what had caught the attention of the other males in the class, she had deep, stormy blue eyes and a heart-stopping smile.

_You are going to be vexing._ He decided, then changed his assessment when he sensed her reiki. _You are going to be extremely vexing._

He strode into the room and was preparing to make his opening speech when the breeze from the open window behind the miko caught her scent and carried it to him. His head spun as the scent of peaches, rainwater and sunlight overwhelmed him.

Her scent called to his instincts so strongly he nearly lost control of them. When he gasped her scent flooded his mouth and he turned on his heel and strode out the door. Once outside the classroom he used his youkai speed for the first time in years and in mere moments stood outside the president's office.

Sesshoumaru checked himself, making sure he was in control, before pushing open the door and making his presence known.

"I'm taking a sabbatical." He announced. "Effective immediately."

Sango Taijiya stopped typing and looked up at him. "Professor Saiga." She raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to be in class for the next three hours if I'm not mistaken."

"Sabbatical."

She sighed. "Are we really going to do this again? Every semester when you get a new class you ask for a sabbatical and every semester after a week you decide that your students are not as 'insufferable' as you thought."

He glared at her impertinence. She was the president of the college but he was the co-founder and it irked him that he needed her approval to take a leave of absence. Though in hindsight he probably would have given up every class as a lost cause if she had not made him wait. But this time was different, this time was _serious._

"I cannot teach that class." He started pacing.

"Is it another kid with BO?"

"Worse."

"Excess perfume?"

"If only."

Sango took a moment to really look at him, taking in his obvious agitation, which was rare for him since he was usually impassive to the nth degree.

"How long of a sabbatical do you need?" She asked quietly.

He looked relieved. "Not long. Seventy years should be adequate."

Her jaw dropped. "_Seventy years? _Have you LOST your mind?"

"I will if you make me teach that class." He glowered at her.

"Please sit down Sesshoumaru-sama." She indicated the comfortable armchair across from her desk. "Tell me what this is all about."

He sighed and accepted her invitation, trying to relax into the leather. "It is not wise for me to be on campus."

"What happened?"

"I found my mate."

Surprise radiated off of Sango as she struggled to find an appropriate response. "That's… good, isn't it?"

"No."

Something clicked and she looked at him sharply. "Is she a student?"

"Yes."

"Ah. That is a problem." She steepled her fingers thoughtfully. "We can figure out a solution… why did you want a seventy-" She broke off and glared at him. "There's nothing wrong with finding your soul mate in a human Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Hn."

"I'm serious. In fact, as I recall you were the one who told me that finding a true mate is an extremely rare and celebrated occurrence in youkai culture."

"I recall the lecture. At the time you were playing feminist and disagreed with the whole concept vehemently."

She rolled her eyes. "That was ten years ago and my experience with youkai only extended to my professor who was insufferably arrogant and gave all the girls a hard time."

"They are _annoying_."

"So they think you're attractive, considering that you're the only professor who looks their age and you spend all your free time at that dojo, what'd you expect?"

"Respect." He wrinkled his nose. "And better personal hygiene."

"Oh for the love of-" Sango pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're not getting into this debate again."

Sesshoumaru didn't show his disappointment; verbal banter was the basis of his relationship with Sango. It had started when she was his student, earning her PhD at the young age of twenty-two, and continued as she put her genius to work in education administration. She was the youngest president the university had ever had and was only elected in office because he—with his not inconsiderable age and influence—had insisted that she'd be ideal for the job. Sango was one of the very few humans that he would consider a friend and he knew she still looked up to him as a mentor.

"Which student is it?" She finally asked.

"I don't know."

"Okay… well let's see if I can figure out who it is…"

"She's a miko." He murmured.

"A what?"

"A priestess." He clarified with a huff.

"Oh, you mean Kagome Higurashi." She brightened, typing quickly and swiveling her computer screen to face him. "This girl?"

Sesshoumaru felt his pulse quicken at the image presented. A very familiar smile shone like it was just for him and he let out a breath.

"That's her."


	4. Maple Nut

**31 chapters in total for this story and I'm aiming for daily updates! ^.^ Thanks for your support, it'll help me through my practical final!**

* * *

><p>Kagome sat in the classroom, feeling somehow cheated. Professor Saiga had shown up, striding in like he owned the place. The instant his eyes met hers she'd felt <em>something<em>. In all her first meetings with men and taiyoukai alike she'd never felt anything like it, it was like her heart started beating for the first time in her life.

Then he'd run away. Literally. The guy looked at her, his eyes widened minutely and his perfectly shaped eyebrows rose as he looked like he was going to say something and he high-tailed it out of there.

"Well that was… unexpected." Miroku commented, his surprise hidden with his carefully blasé attitude. "I think that's the first time I've seen Professor Saiga retreat. And for such a ridiculous reason too."

"W-what do you mean?" Kagome asked, her heart still pounding.

Miroku looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Come now my miko, did you not feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The bond of true love, the echo of eternity…" He trailed off at her blank expression. "Kagome-chan that's dense even for you."

"Hey!" She protested, glaring.

"Hey!" A girl echoed, standing in front of their desks.

The only two youkai girls in the class glared down at her. It wasn't the first encounter they'd had, Kagura Kaze and Kanna Mirā had been snide to Kagome since they all joined the graduate program. It was ironic to Kagome and Miroku since Kagome's PhD was in Interspecies Relations and Diplomacy that she couldn't seem to get along with the youkai girls.

"Good Morning Kaze-san, Mirā-san." Kagome greeted cordially. "I hope your summer was nice."

"Yes it was." Kanna murmured.

Kagome smiled at her, she seemed to follow Kagura out of habit more than anything and while she was never actively friendly she'd never been openly malicious either.

"What the hell did you do to Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagura accused.

Kagome blinked at her. "Uh… who?"

"Professor Saiga." Miroku clarified. "His given name is Sessoumaru and he was lord over the western lands for many centuries before establishing Chishiki University."

"Huh. Cheerful name… You're kinda like a walking encyclopedia you know that right?" Kagome smiled at her friend who in turn gave her a noogie.

"I have to be to balance out your airheadedness."

"As charming as this banter is." Kagura drawled. "You still have not answered my question."

"Higurashi!" Shippo called, looking up from his cell phone's display and catching their attention. "President Taijiya wants to speak with you."

"You're in for it now." Kagura smiled coldly.

Kagome kept a tight lid on her emotions as she gathered up her bag and left. It was a long walk to the president's office across campus and she thumbed through her pamphlet, looking to see if there was some rule or policy that she'd accidentally broken. She stopped at the third page and stared down at it incredulously.

_Hygiene Policy:_

_All students will bathe or shower before class._

_All students will refrain from wearing perfume and cologne._

_Eating in class is strictly forbidden._

_Coming to class within two days of drinking excessive alcohol is forbidden._

_All students will brush their teeth before class if food has been consumed since their morning bathing rituals._

And the list went on.

Kagome thought about her shower before class, suddenly unsure if it had been long enough, and the maple nut muffin she'd had before class started. She was certain that had to be it, she'd eaten breakfast on the run and not brushed her teeth afterwards.

A surge of embarrassed anger quickened her steps into the administrative building and she'd gotten so worked up that she threw open the door to the president's office without knocking.

The president was an attractive woman in her early thirties whom Kagome had met a few times at events but it was her guest that made her pause in the door. Stunned golden eyes met hers for a moment before Professor Saiga simply vanished.

Kagome blinked. "Uh… What just happened?"

President Taijiya crossed the room to the open window and smirked when she looked outside. "He jumped out the window."

"But we're on the third flo-" Kagome broke off. "Oh yeah, taiyoukai. I wish he'd stop doing that though."

"Doing what?"

"Running away." She looked out the window and spotted a long-haired figure across the main lawn. "It's super unprofessional."

"As unprofessional as barging into a room without knocking?"

Kagome winced. "My apologies President Taijiya-"

"Sango please."

"… Sango. I was just really annoyed with his policies and let my anger override my manners." Kagome bowed deeply.

"It's all right. Please take a seat." Sango sat back at her desk and Kagome took the seat that Sesshoumaru had vacated. "I had him as a professor once you know, I was equally annoyed with his rules. But that's not the reason he had to leave the classroom… and my office."

"Thank kami! I really didn't want to apologize for having muffin-breath!" Kagome exclaimed.

Sango chuckled at her response and pressed a few keys on her computer, activating the printer. "I'm afraid that you brought up some very powerful instincts in Professor Saiga."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Because of my reiki?"

Sango paused as she reached for the papers in her printer tray, then gave a Gaelic shrug.

Kagome's heart plummeted. If her sacred powers had caused that kind of reaction then she was sure he _hated_ her. Sango seemed to catch on to her mood because she smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. I think you surprised him more than anything, he'll be fine in a few hours. But unfortunately we can't have you in the same classroom due to… liability issues. You'll still be his student, we'll just need to set you up with a skype account and put a computer with a webcam in the classroom. We've done this before with distance-learning and it's worked out fine, Professor Saiga's TA is familiar with the procedure." She handed Kagome the print-out. "Best of all you don't have to worry about his hygiene policies and you can watch his lectures from home."

Kagome was amazed that she'd put together a solution so quickly and thanked Sango. But when she left the office she still felt somehow slighted and disappointed. Despite all the strangeness, she felt like she needed to see Sesshoumaru again.


	5. Pistachio

Sesshoumaru hesitantly expanded his awareness as he approached his classroom. He relaxed when he only felt the presence of one reiki user and recognized the aura as belonging to a student he'd had in the past, Miroku Murasaki.

Shippo gave him a knowing look when he arrived in the classroom and he ignored it. The kitsune was fiddling with a laptop computer and small camera and talking on his cell phone.

"Okay Kagome, can you see all right?" He asked and Sesshoumaru paused mid-stride for half a heartbeat before resolutely continuing to the blackboard. "Hey Professor! Say something to Kagome so we can check the audio feed!"

_I'm going to dismember that kit._ He mentally growled. "Good morning."

"Did you hear him all right?" Shippo looked disappointed at the response. "Are you sure? I can make him talk more… Okay, class is going to start soon so get some popcorn ready and if you have any questions you can text me and I'll ask him."

"Welcome to Youkai History and Mythology. I trust you have all read the required texts?" Sesshoumaru asked in a tone that conveyed his completely lack of trust in their studiousness.

In the three hours that followed the only semi-intelligent questions came from Miroku and texts sent to Shippo's phone. Sesshoumaru was beginning to wish that he could trust himself around Kagome as he suspected he could have a debate with her on par with those that he had with Sango when she was still his student. Kagome's questions were surprisingly objective, they naturally had a human perspective but they showed insight into youkai culture.

At the end of class Shippo waited until the other students had left before turning off the webcam and facing his mentor.

"So, you finally found a mate." His tails flicked, belying the interest that he'd learned to mask from Sesshoumaru.

"Watch yourself kit."

"I was just going to congratulate you on your choice. She seems like she could actually hold her own against you."

"It is not a choice, you know that." Sesshoumaru's jaw tightened as he gathered the papers on his desk. "While the actual science is more complicated than your little fox brain could comprehend-"

Shippo snorted a laugh. "Yeah yeah, I remember the lecture _Professor_-sama. Two people compliment each other perfectly on a molecular level, down to the junk DNA in their system. One case was even documented where the brain waves, or aura, of two mates were mapped and they were perfectly in sync. A scientifically proven fairy tale."

"Numbingly simplified. Yes."

Shippo rolled his eyes. "You know, most youkai would be ecstatic to find a true match… even if there mate was human."

"You presume much." Sesshoumaru snapped his briefcase shut and flicked his braid over his shoulder.

Their eyes locked on each other, Shippo's unusually challenging gaze searching Sesshoumaru's for the minute cues that expressed the inu taiyoukai's true feelings. As he looked Sesshoumaru let loose a flare of youki, reminding the kitsune of his place as alpha. Shippo dropped his gaze submissively, acknowledging Sesshoumaru's dominance and smiled nervously.

"This whole thing really has put you in a bad mood." He muttered and retrieved his backpack, stowing the laptop and other gear.

"Will you be dining in the cafeteria or at home tonight?" Sesshoumaru asked, extending the invitation to placate the kitsune. He was rewarded as Shippo raised hopeful pistachio eyes to his. "Rin has complained of your absence."

Shippo chuckled and followed Sesshoumaru out of the classroom, locking up behind them. "Well if Rin-chan demands my presence then I am obligated to put in an appearance."

"Hn."

"Does Rin-chan know about Kagome?" Shippo asked carefully, not putting any inflection in his tone.

The only indication that the older taiyoukai had heard was his lengthened stride, practically making Shippo jog to keep up.

"Professor-sama, you yourself told me that these kinds of connections are impossible to ignore once made."

A low growl should have been warning enough but Shippo ploughed on. "At the very least you should explain to Kagome why you ran… er… _exited_ with such haste."

The growl rose dangerously, almost loud enough to be perceptible to human ears.

Shippo pretended not to notice it. "If she doesn't know she may take another suitor."

The growl stopped as abruptly as Sesshoumaru's stride and Shippo knew he'd hit a nerve.

"That won't happen." He stated confidently and started stalking the corridor again. "The bond is already present. It will not be so for any other male."

"But the bond didn't just happen the second you laid eyes on her, youkai erm… partners, aren't love at first sight." He dropped his voice as they emerged outside where students milled about before lunch, not wanting to be overheard. "The bond's existed since she was born."

"Your point?"

"So she's probably felt that other males are… unsatisfactory her whole life and learned to ignore that feeling." Shippo rolled his eyes as his mentor's eyes widened slightly at the implication.

The growl returned, loud enough to make the other students give him an even wider birth than usual. "Unacceptable."


	6. Vanilla

Kagome stared at the giant arrangement of orchids that had arrived at her apartment. There was no card so it was impossible to tell who they were from or if they were even for her. It was truly a mystery.

She giggled and placed them on the coffee table, where they dominated the small living room of the two bedroom apartment she shared with Miroku.

At the sound of her laugh her roommate emerged from his bedroom, sleep-tousled and wearing only pajama pants. The hair he usually kept in a low ponytail hung free and was just long enough to brush his shoulders.

"You got flowers?" He perked up in immediate interest.

Kagome cast a practiced eye over his bare torso, taking in the scratches and love bites that were liberally scattered over his toned chest and stomach. He'd come in late the night before, which usually meant he'd been with a girl. They had agreed on a strict no sex at the apartment rule, which meant Miroku either had to be creative or go home with the girl if he wanted to indulge in his primal habits. At their previous apartment she'd had too many sleepless nights listening to the banging and screaming in the other room and he'd had too many one-night-stand-turned-stalkers; so she'd given him an ultimatum. No sex or sexual activity at the apartment or he'd have to find a new roommate.

After living together almost their whole lives it was one threat he took seriously and they'd found a new apartment shortly thereafter. He often teased her that while his escapades often got him in trouble he only did it to even out her complete lack of a sex life. She'd dated but it never felt right, she just wasn't able to let herself go the way Miroku did, there was always something strange holding her back. She blamed Disney for glamorizing the ideals happily ever after and one true love.

"Rough night?" She smirked.

"She looked so sweet too." The mischievous gleam in his violet eyes belied his mournful tone. "I know I've said it before but you can't trust the librarian types. They're too kinky behind closed doors."

"Wow. Someone too kinky for you? I'd almost like to meet her." She grinned. "_Almost._"

"You did meet her. Last night." He reminded her.

She paused, frowning. They worked together at a bar and club called Sangoku Judai where Kagome was a bartender and Miroku doubled as a bouncer and manager. The money was good and the hours were flexible so they both had their needs met and the owners, a married couple named Mushin and Kaede Oya, thought that having two attractive reiki-users would bring in the crowds. They were right. Five nights a week Miroku and Kagome would put on their modernized miko and houshi costumes and make their rent and student loans, plus extra.

Kaede tolerated Miroku's flirting because it drew bar patrons and regulars were the bar's bread and butter. But she discouraged him going home with girls straight from the bar because jealousy drove the regulars away.

Kagome blinked as she remembered going into a coffee shop after work that was open late and the barista commenting on their outfits. Hers had the classic red hakama but the white haori had been altered to be sleeveless and fitted to her form and she wore her leather archer's gloves and arm guards. Miroku wore a fitted black and purple haori and black pants with a gauntlet and prayer beads wrapping one hand. The girl at the coffee shop had told Miroku his outfit was sexy, Kagome had tuned out after that, content to nurse her hibiscus tea in blissful ignorance. When she'd been ready to leave he'd told her to go on ahead and she had, making it home and falling asleep the instant her head hit her pillow. It was clear that the same wasn't true for Miroku.

"When did you get home?" Kagome asked, looking again for a card on the flowers.

"I caught the first train back." He smiled, a dashingly sensual slow smile that was known to incinerate panties on the spot. "Like I said, she was too kinky even for me."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Serves you right. I'll be surprised if your boy parts don't rot off from the STD exposure you give them."

Miroku sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't worry so much Kagome-chan. As per your request I establish communication about sexually transmitted diseases before intercourse and always use a condom."

"Gee that makes me feel so much better." She waved off his response, their argument about his promiscuous ways being an old one. "I'm much more interested to find out where these came from."

"They're beautiful." He smiled. "Not that you deserve anything less… but they were expensive too."

"You think?"

"I know. Those are either from a very wealthy suitor or a boyfriend who has screwed up royally." He blinked, considering her. "The last boy you dated was Hojou wasn't it? Do you think he's trying to mend things?"

Kagome snorted negatively. "There's nothing to mend. We dated in college, it sucked, he was vanilla, end of story."

"Well whomever sent these was definitely not… vanilla." Miroku grinned suddenly, eyes sparkling the way he did when he figured out the way into a particularly resilient female's pants.

"Oh?" Kagome looked at him speculatively. Then at the arrangement. She tried to pick up on what he had discovered, examining the flowers with every sense. Then she realized that she wasn't using _every_ sense and slowed her breathing to tap into her reiki.

Miroku's grin widened as her eyes focused sharply. "That my dear Kagome-chan is undeniably traces of-"

"Youki." She finished excitedly.


	7. Blue Moon

"Did you carry out the task set for you?" Sesshoumaru asked his half-brother.

The hanyou turned at the taiyoukai that had barged in his office without knocking while he sorted through registration forms for his new bojutsu class. "That's a hell of a way to greet your brother."

"Half-brother."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and did the thing that he knew would annoy his _half-_brother the most, he ignored him.

"I asked if you carried-" Sesshoumaru began again through gritted teeth but Inuyasha cut him off with an impatient wave.

"Yeah yeah it was all taken care of. Why the hell you asked ME to deliver fucking flowers for you when you could've gotten the company to deliver them is _beyond_ me though." He muttered, knowing Sesshoumaru's superior hearing would make the words clearly audible.

"It is enough that you did so." He turned, heavy braid swinging. "In two weeks time I shall require your services again."

"Any particular reason you're sendin gifts to a human girl on the full and new moons?" Inuyasha asked casually.

Sesshoumaru stilled and cursed his half-brother's not completely nonexistent reasoning skills. It had taken him nearly five hundred years to develop a brain that half-worked and now that he had it he used it to be annoying. Even someone who was belatedly introduced into youkai culture as Inuyasha was could grasp the meaning of gifts presented to a member of the opposite sex based on the phases of the moon.

The instinct to send tokens was so deeply ingrained in Sesshoumaru that he hadn't even realized he was using the moon to dictate his actions. Now that his idiot half-brother pointed it out he inwardly winced at the implications. As he was marked with his royal bloodline through the blue moon on his forehead his greatest instincts were ruled by the moon. His instincts were strongest at the full moon and weakest at the new moon, compelling him to show off his prowess as a worthy male at the full and seek reassurance of his pack at the new. That he had chosen to express those instincts through gifts to his predestined mate at those particular times showed just how strong the inherent bond was.

He considered telling Inuyasha the real reason behind his actions but didn't relish the thought of disclosing his motives. The fact that he had to court his soul mate not only from a distance but through an intermediary grated on the taiyoukai though, he reasoned, he only had to keep her interest on a mystery suitor long enough to remain single until her graduation. By using his brother he insured that faint traces of inu youki would be on the gifts. He was leaving just enough hints for her to be intrigued without having any evidence linking her professor to them.

_Not that I want her to be intrigued_. He reminded himself. _I do not desire the female… I just do not want her to desire anyone else either._

Belatedly he realized that he had waited too long to answer Inuyasha, who was looking at him with real interest now, strong eyebrows raised so high they disappeared in his bangs. "She is… interesting."

Inuyasha pushed back his chair and stood, squaring off with Sesshoumaru. "As I recall the last thing you found interesting was world conquest."

Cool golden eyes met alarmed widened ones. "Your point?"

"My point is that you finding something interesting is usually not good for anyone else involved, namely me."

Sesshoumaru sifted through the scents his half-brother was exuding and the fluctuations in his aura, eyebrow lifting slightly. "You are concerned."

"For her!" Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair with an exasperated snort. "I mean, hell Sesshoumaru, she's human for kami's sake! Why the hell would a taiyoukai as powerful as you be doting on a fucking human like she's your fucking mat-" He cut himself off, eyes widening as they swung up to meet the carefully disinterested gaze of the taiyoukai. "Holy shit." He finally whispered before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

"_What?_" Sesshoumaru growled snappishly.

"You're… fucking… mate… is… fucking… human!"

Sesshoumaru decided not to mention yet that she was also a miko. It would only add to the hanyou's amusement.

The irony of the arrangement was not lost on him. While everything from the way his mother raised him to his father's betrayal taught him to distrust and dislike the human race, his every instinct screamed in protest at every moment of his life wasted without her company. The fact that the human miko was his student didn't matter to his inner beast, all it wanted was to feel her sweet flesh pressed against him and her scent to permeate his life.

"Enough." He finally growled, a command from alpha to beta.

Inuyasha immediately sobered as his instincts—diluted as they were—kicked in.

"So what's the hold up eh?" Inuyasha slumped back against his desk. "Why're you havin' me play cupid?"

"She is a student." He admitted, subconscious pride in the fact that his mate was well-educated making him share. "She is my student."

"An egg head huh? Well good for you." Inuyasha turned back to his papers. "I'll play along until she graduates, then you're on your own."

"Hn." Sesshoumaru turned to leave again and was nearly walked into by a young man heading to Inuyasha's office.

"Professor Saiga!" The human exclaimed and Sesshoumaru blinked down at him, recognizing his scent and aura.

"Murasaki." Sesshoumaru nodded shortly.

"Are you here for the bojutsu class? Or are you two related?" Miroku asked, eyes settling on Inuyasha. His gaze unfocused slightly as Sesshoumaru felt his reiki rise and probe the two other occupants. Before he could dismember him for his impertinence—or get him suspended from class—he pulled back with a frown. "Damn I could have sworn it was you."

"What?" Sesshoumaru snapped irritably.

"Nothing! Apologies Professor Saiga, see you in class!" Miroku waved and turned.

The wave of scent that hit Sesshoumaru's olfactory senses made his eyes bleed crimson. The houshi himself smelled like terragon underneath the scents of city and human but in addition to that was the scent of at least two women on his skin, one of whom smelled of sunlight. If he only had brief contact with the woman who was meant to be his mate, Sesshoumaru would have assumed that they were friends, as they seemed to be, but the houshi smelled as though he had engaged in sexual activity despite the shower that still clung to his skin.

Strong arms wrapped around Sesshoumaru's wrists as Miroku turned at the influx of his youki and Sesshoumaru was whisked out of the room before the probing human's violet eyes could land on him.

"Release this Sesshoumaru AT ONCE." He growled dangerously.

"Uh, no. That's one of my students yer getting ready to filet for no reason." Inuyasha growled back.

"He _touched_ her. He was-"

"He is her _roommate_." Inuyasha cut in. "She's his emergency contact if you want to see his paperwork. Or better yet, go see if _she _smells like sex."

Sesshoumaru calmed down enough to listen to his half-brother's words and a speculative light lit his eyes. "Hmm. I may do that."


	8. Caramel

**Okay you guys are not going to believe this but I forgot a chapter! Chapter 5 is supposed to be Pistachio! It should be fixed now.**

**So... GO BACK AND READ CHAPTER 5**

**IT'S A NEW CHAPTER**

**5. PISTACHIO**

**THAT IS ALL.**

* * *

><p>Kagome paused in the act of putting away her clean laundry and plucked a silver silk tie from her underwear drawer. It wasn't the first piece of a man's clothing she'd discovered. Two weeks before she'd uncovered a silk handkerchief that definitely belonged to a man discreetly tucked in her shoe rack.<p>

_What the hell?_ She frowned at the offending garment.

Less unnerving but no less odd was the mystery smell in the apartment. She'd first noticed when she came home from class three weeks previous and there was a lingering scent in her room. Her nose had always been sharper than most but she couldn't detect more than a whiff of the tantalizing scent before it faded.

All she knew was that it had been dark and rich with the subtle saltiness she associated with masculinity. It reminded her of salted caramel and made her mouth water. She asked Miroku if he'd switched colognes when she smelled it again, intending to compliment him on his new choice, but he'd just frowned. When she explained her reason for asking he'd strangely chuckled and shaken his head, muttering something about scent-marking territory.

At the time Kagome just assumed he was drunk but now she was beginning to wonder.

"All right this is just weird." She sat down at their kitchen table where Miroku was working on his laptop.

"Hmm?"

"Am I being stalked?" She stared at the bouquet of lotus blossoms that were the most recent in the seemingly endless parade of gifts.

"We know your pursuer is youkai, or has youki, so stalking in a sense may be perceived as him as a type of courtship. What do we know about his personality so far?"

Kagome pursed her lips in thought. "He's presumptuous but sorta shy, or doesn't want me to know who he is which is weird because if he didn't want me to know him he shouldn't have sent me gifts in the first place."

"Hmm." Miroku hummed non-commitally.

"Honestly I'm not that impressed with all this distance-wooeing. I'd rather him be honest with me."

"Perhaps he is being honest in his… culture." Miroku looked up at her. "He has declared his intentions, and left part of his power behind that only someone with reiki could identify."

"Do you think we could track it?" Kagome pulled a bottle of taro milk out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass. "I guess that's a dumb idea… We're not bloodhounds."

"No but… perhaps an inu youkai would be just as good." He smiled secretively. "You have Shippo's number right? His nose wouldn't be as good as Professor Saiga's but he'd probably be more willing to help."

"I think Saiga would run away again if I asked him for help." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Honestly, for a youkai lord he sure is a wuss."

Miroku's eyebrows shot up and he smirked. "I'd love to see you say that to his face. Or not, I like you alive."

She nodded, pulling out her phone and debating briefly before dialing Shippo's number. From what she knew about kitsune they loved tricks and mystery so as long as she pitched the situation right he'd probably be more than willing to help out.

When he answered she put on her best excited voice and told her about the mystery gifts with youki and asked if he wanted to play private investigator. Naturally he was thrilled at the idea and promised to be over as soon as possible.

Kagome put the electric kettle on for tea and pulled out snacks for their guest. While she worked Miroku kept up his work on the laptop, though his eyes seemed to not focus on the screen and he only typed occasionally.

"What's up?" She finally asked.

"Nothing." He responded automatically.

"Miro-kun. Don't lie to me." She used the nickname she'd had for him since they were children.

"I…" He met her eyes and had to look away. "I'm just worried about you."

"It's okay. I'm okay. I haven't even really been coughing lately, the new medication is helping and I have a secret admirer." She smiled. "Life is good."

"Yeah." He reached for her hand. "As long as you're around life is good Ni-chan."

A knock on the door made Kagome give Miroku's hand a quick squeeze before skipping down the hallway.

Miroku watched her go, debating whether or not to tell her that he already knew who her secret admirer was. Though it wasn't as good as having Professor Saiga as a potential mate—and he'd been so sure that it had been him after their classroom incident—a hanyou of Saiga-sensei's bloodline was still quite powerful. He'd been ecstatic when he found out about the sharing of life-force between mates. It would be the perfect solution but he'd have to act quickly. If Shippo couldn't track Inuyasha then Miroku resolved to invite Kagome to his bojutsu class and have them 'coincidentally' meet.

"Hi Miroku!" Shippo greeted cheerfully.

Miroku saved the research project he'd been drafting and closed his laptop, intending to give his best friend and his TA his full attention.

"Good afternoon Shippo." He smiled. "You certainly got here quickly."

"I was at school today." He grinned, showing fangs. "Professor Saiga is a _slave_ driver! He had me drafting a pop quiz on-WOOPS!" He opened his eyes wide in mock-surprise and covered his mouth. "Guess the fox's out of the bag now!" He winked at Kagome. "You still gotta act surprised okay?"

"How can I act surprised? I won't even be in class!"

"I'll be doubly surprised for both of us." Miroku volunteered with a chuckle.

"Good! Now onto my little stint as Sherlock Holmes." Shippo rubbed his hands together gleefully and his eyes fell on the floral arrangement on the table. "Are those a gift from your mystery guy?"

"Yup. They got here this morning and we've been careful to contain our reiki so the youki will be preserved. Can you-?"

Shippo was already examining the bouquet, but his brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at them, then smelled them. His expression of perplexion cleared and he looked almost admiring.

"That clever devil." He murmured, so quietly that Miroku almost missed it. "All right! I know who it is!"

Kagome's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Sure, there's only a handful of people around powerful enough to leave this kind of signature laying around. You wanna go meet him?"

"Hell yes!" Kagome turned off the electric kettle and marched down the hall to where her shoes were waiting. "Come on boys! We've got a stalker to catch!"


	9. Green Tea

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome, Miroku and Shippo leave the apartment building, looking excited. His eyes narrowed. Shippo had taken Kagome's call in the classroom, knowing that his mentor could easily overhear the conversation. In his own way the kitsune was asking permission to help, and Sesshoumaru had granted it. He knew that Shippo would figure out that it had been Inuyasha who sent the gifts but hadn't given him instructions on what to do. He preferred to let things unfold naturally.

As soon as the three were out of sight Sesshoumaru dropped down on Kagome's balcony and opened her sliding glass door. As always it was unlocked and he huffed softly in annoyance at her lax security. He had taken to visiting her apartment regularly to mark his territory. His inner inu demanded that the space be clearly claimed to discourage any other youkai from entering and he'd complied with minimal resistance. He made sure to completely mask his youki without masking his scent, not an easy task, but a necessary one.

The only time he'd resorted to actually leaving physical evidence of his presence was when he sensed an unfamiliar youkai male nearby. Thankfully it had only happened three times and he'd only left his handkerchief, cuff links and tie behind.

After his customary circuit of the apartment to check the scents present he went into Kagome's bedroom. Her neatly made bed only had one abnormality and it was glaringly obvious.

A man's silvered silk tie was carefully lain on her bedspread. _His_ silver silk tie. Apparently the miko was more thorough in the maintenance of her dresser drawers than he'd originally thought.

With a sigh he pocketed the tie and felt some resistance from his instincts at the action. They wanted him to leave physical proof of his presence behind, to mark the area and items in the room clearly and properly. However, the fact that Kagome was a reiki-user made it impossible for him to mark her apartment in youki, so he was left with the only option of scent-marking the area.

He stalked the edges of every room, except the houshi's, and sat down on Kagome's bed. The sunlight filtering in through the windows enhanced her natural scent of sunlight and soft sweetness and he found himself laying back on her bed and burying his face in her pillow. He knew he was acting like an idiotic pup, but he couldn't resist her scent.

The logical half of his brain decided he was smelling her pillow to further analyze her scent so he could identify what it was that designated her as his mate. Underneath her surface scents he could detect aspects of her personality that manifested in scent. She was overwhelmingly bright and soft but underneath were strong touches of spiciness and strength. Not just strength of power but strength of will. Even further he could detect strange scents mingled with the scents of her shampoo and toothpaste, artificial scents that made him frown and stand.

He found what he was looking for in her bathroom, behind the mirror. Where normal people had a few bottles of aspirin or a generic cold medicine, she had inhalers and a tube of progesterone—a hormone for women. She also had another bottle of medicine he'd never heard of, which was rare, and a prescription pain killer.

She obviously wasn't using them constantly or they would be more prominent in her scent but the fact that she was hurting made his beast roar in anger.

_If I claim her then I share my strength and life-force with her._ He thought, fingers tightening around the edge of her sink. _She will be cured of whatever human ailment afflicts her._

He shook off the thought, he knew that the inhaler was for asthma; his brief study in the field of medicine backed that up, and the progesterone was relatively normal for women in their mid-twenties so he had nothing to be concerned with. Asthma was hardly fatal as long as it was managed and modern medicine made it very manageable.

The only thing that made him pause again was the other medication in the cabinet. He memorized the name and filed it away for later research before leaving the restroom exactly as he found it and adjourning to the kitchen.

He had found in his first trip that his little miko liked to dabble in tea-making. The first time he'd found a glass jar with a mixture of ginger, garlic and anise seed. While he personally could have done without the garlic he understood its presence during flu season on campus. The last time he'd visited the jar had contained green tea, aloe vera and honey, a very healthy drink. This time he located the jar easily and smiled when he saw that it was almost completely full, a fresh batch. He unscrewed the lid and sniffed delicately, separating the scents of lemongrass and lemon zest, basil and fresh ginger.

The urge to try the tea was almost overwhelming but he quelled it and put it back exactly where he'd found it.

He paused at the bouquet of flowers on the table and touched a petal carefully. It was a tasteful arrangement, he'd had Rin pick it out. All his adopted daughter knew was that her father liked a lady but could not meet with her and so had her uncle Inuyasha deliver the flowers for him bi-weekly.

He didn't want to have to explain to her the finer details of the policies at Chishiki University. While he was immensely proud that Kagome was his PhD student and excelling in his class without even being there, he knew Rin wouldn't understand. Even her being his mate didn't change the fact that professors and students were strictly banned from fraternizing, a rule he himself had instilled when he found a professor offering special 'extra credit' lessons after hours. The professor was duly terminated and his reputation ruined but the rule that had followed was now the source of Sesshoumaru's problem.

_Well… not the source._ He conceded to himself, pulling a photo album off the shelf.

He idly flipped through the pictures until he found one that held his attention. In it Kagome was dressed in the hakama and haori of a competing archer with the sleeves tied back and her bare arms encased in an archer's gauntlets and gloves. She was in an archer's stance with a long bow at some kind of competition and her was held in a messy ponytail. The arrow was drawn and her expression was fiercely focused on her target.

Sesshoumaru debated for a moment before pocketing the photo. While the Kagome he saw now was sunny and cheerful and smiling this fierce warrior was a reflection of the true spirit he sensed in her scent.

_Perhaps the little human miko would not be such a bad match after all._ He mused and his beast purred in contentment.


	10. Bubble Gum

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! I get so excited when I have reviews ^.^**

* * *

><p>Kagome ran behind Shippo, keeping pace with the agile kitsune by sheer force of will. She could feel the pressure building in her chest but ignored it. She knew her body was ten times more capable than her lungs and that knowledge drove her crazy.<p>

"Kagome! Enough!" Miroku called behind her.

She paused to catch her breath before turning to him with a sunny smile. "What's the matter Miro-kun? Can't keep up?"

"I'm sorry guys!" Shippo skipped back to them. "Sometimes I forget that humans are slow."

"Hey!" Kagome flipped him the finger. "I'm not slow! You're just stupidly fast!"

"Pssh, you think I'm fast you should see Sesshoumaru-sama move… oh wait I guess you already did." He snorted a laugh. "I think that that was the fastest I've EVER seen him move. Or rather, didn't see."

"Yes… why exactly did he leave the classroom that first day? Kagome has been vague on the details." Miroku asked as they started walking again.

"Er… he has a history with reiki users, I mean, you guys are studying all this and he's mentioned more than once in the required texts."

Kagome stopped and stared. "He's in the history books? That's kinda… creepy."

Shippo stopped too. "Oh? Do older men bother you Kagome-chan?"

"Older _men_ yeah, older _taiyoukai_ are different though."

"Oh really?" He got a sly look in his eye and threaded his arm through hers. "Are you free this weekend?"

"Oh no you don't." Kagome unthreaded herself. "I don't care how old you really are, you make me feel like a pedophile."

"From what we know of taiyoukai, it takes them five years to be able to achieve human form." Miroku said with a smile.

"Then they age at a human rate until they reach a point of maturity where they're able to fend for themselves—usually about fifteen." Kagome continued.

"Then their age rate slows dramatically, usually about one human year for every fifty to a hundred years." Miroku finished. "Considering that you appear to be in your late teens I'd estimate that you're anywhere from one hundred to six hundred years old."

"But still too young for you?" Shippo asked Kagome mournfully.

"Call me in about a thousand years." She laughingly responded.

"The really interesting one is Professor Saiga." Miroku mused as they walked along the sidewalk. "He appears to be anywhere from his mid to late twenties and taiyoukai royalty age at two hundred years per human year so…"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is nine hundred and twenty years old." Shippo announced with great authority.

"Putting him at a human equivalent of… twenty four." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Damn you pretty taiyoukai and your eternal youth. In nine hundred years I'll be nothing but dirt."

"I wouldn't count on it Kagome-chan." Shippo grinned mischievously. "Life's got a funny way of surprising you when least expect it."

Miroku nodded soberly as he expertly avoided a glob of bubble gum on the sidewalk. "That's true Shippo but that sword cuts both ways. And untimely death is a much more frequent guest than eternal youth."

Shippo looked at him with narrowed eyes, he knew the houshi well enough to know that he didn't speak without a reason.

"Hey Miro-kun isn't that where you take bojutsu?" Kagome asked, looking at the one-story red building.

Shippo skipped in front of them, sweeping his arm out to encompass the building behind him. "Here we are!"

"My stalker's in there?" Kagome raised an eyebrow.

"The person whose youki was left on the bouquets you have been receiving is just beyond those doors." Shippo answered evasively.

Kagome didn't notice, she was already slamming open the door and storming inside. She paused only to remove her shoes before marching up the office where she could sense the presence of very familiar youki.

"YOU!" She pointed an accusing finger at the silver-haired individual at the desk.

Dog-like ears swiveled to her in surprise before he raised widened gold eyes to her sparking blue ones. He leapt to his feet as recognition dawned on his face but a wave of her reiki made him stumble back into his chair.

"SIT." She commanded and towered over him with her hands on her hips. "EXPLAIN."

In the background Shippo was in silent fits of laughter at the expression on the stunned hanyou's face.

"I… uh… crap." He tugged absent-mindedly on one fuzzy ear and Kagome's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Cut that out!" She glared at the offending appendage. "You will NOT distract me with your adorable ears and you WILL explain why the HELL you have been stalking me!"

"You are so dead runt." He growled to the giggling kitsune behind Kagome's back.

Kagome whirled at his words, her laser-like glare landing on Shippo, who immediately quieted guiltily. "You know this guy?"

"Yeah. Kagome Higurashi meet Inuyasha Saiga. Uncle Inuyasha, this is Kagome."

"Uncle?" Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. "SAIGA?"

"Uh… yeah?" Inuyasha frowned at her. "Somethin wrong with that?"

"WHAT IS _WRONG_ WITH YOUR FAMILY?" Kagome threw her hands in the air. "Is CRAZY hereditary or something?"

"Hey now-" He pushed to stand but another wave of reiki slammed him back into his seat.

"I said SIT." She growled. "STAY."

"Now hold on-"

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF." Kagome demanded, arms crossed.

"Aw man…" He ran a hand through his long hair and huffed a sigh. "Look it wasn't supposed to be creepy or nuthin I just…"

"Decided to take up stalking as a hobby?" She arched an eyebrow at him.

"No!" He held up his hands defensively. "I… I didn't want to say anything." He looked to Shippo helplessly but when the kit shrugged and Kagome growled his attention snapped back to her. "I didn't want to say anything to you until you graduated! I know how much work it is to get a doctorate and I didn't want to get in the way!"

"That's… actually kinda thoughtful." Kagome's anger seemed to bleed from her. "Why didn't you just wait until I graduated to tell me?"

"And risk you gettin snatched up by some other guy?" He smiled hesitantly at her. "I just wanted to let you know that someone was interested without it gettin complicated."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Epic fail."

"Tell me about it."

"Well… what about the tie? And the handkerchief?" She looked like she was trying to find her anger again and Inuyasha quickly intercepted.

"Do I really look like the kinda guy who wears a tie or carries a handkerchief?" He gestured at his simple instructor's gi.

"I guess not… maybe I just forgot that somebody gave them to me at the bar or something." She bit her thumbnail in thought.

Miroku was looking back and forth between Kagome and Inuyasha as something seemed to dawn on his face and he tugged Shippo out of earshot before whispering in his ear. "Is it by any chance against school policy for a professor to be involved with a student?"


	11. Chocolate

Inuyasha wondered how he'd gotten himself into this most recent mess.

The spitfire and houshi had invited him to the bar where they worked and since it was still early they were able to grab one of the VIP rooms. They all had sake with the exception of Shippo who Kagome had supplied with a sippy toddler's cup that she'd gotten from god-only-knows where and filled with chocolate milk.

He suspected from the sidelong looks he'd been receiving that Miroku knew what was really going on and couldn't help but wonder if he was going to tell Kagome.

"So we need to learn more about you." Kagome was saying. "I know you teach martial arts and that you're related to Professor crazy pants but I want to know other stuff."

"Like..?" Inuyasha hazarded.

"Like… how'd you find out about me?" She arched an eyebrow. "Or do you stalk random girls?"

"I wasn't stalking you!" Inuyasha protested for the thousandth time. "And I saw you with Miroku. I asked him about it and he said that you were his roommate."

"I remember that!" Miroku exclaimed. "But that was like a year ago!"

"Well I'm… shy." Inuyasha shrugged.

Kagome squinted at him. "You don't act very shy."

"Oh he is. Trust me, Uncle Inuyasha is like… shy times twenty. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's still a virgin."

Inuyasha glared at Shippo, silently promising to tear him apart at his next lesson at the dojo. The fact that the kitsune was dating Inuyasha's daughter (after begging for a century) and best friends with his son did not seem to affect him in the slightest.

"I know! Classic college get-to-know-you game!" Kagome clapped her hands.

"Oh no." Miroku groaned.

"Oh yes! Never Have I Ever!" Kagome turned to the hanyou. "Do you know how to play?"

He snorted. "I practically invented the game."

"Great! I'll start! Never have I ever been on the receiving end of anal sex." Kagome cheerfully piped up and both Shippo and Inuyasha snarfed their drinks.

Miroku sighed and took a drink.

"Never have I ever read a romance novel." Miroku declared and his three companions drank.

"Really?" Kagome asked Inuyasha, whose cheeks were pink.

"Keh. You don't live as long as we have without getting bored every now and then."

"I like the metaphors!" Shippo grinned, then adopted a falsetto voice. "'She grasped his manroot firmly while twining her legs about his waist like a carnivorous plant consuming its prey'."

Kagome burst into laughter and Miroku chuckled.

"Never have I ever been married." Shippo grinned as Inuyasha and Miroku drank.

"I know your reason is Vegas, but what's your excuse?" Kagome asked Inuyasha.

"Uh… like I said… long life." He shrugged and didn't meet her eyes. "Never have I ever… uh… been sick for more than a week."

Kagome and Miroku drank.

"Never have I ever had children." Kagome said, her sharp eyes on Inuyasha, who drank. "Ah hah! I knew it! How many do you have? Like eighty?"

"What?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Hell no! I have three!"

"Hmph." Kagome slumped back in her chair but her gaze didn't lose its calculating edge.

An hour later and they were all—with the exception of Shippo—feeling light-headed and silly and were having trouble of thinking of things they'd never done—with the exception of Kagome.

"Never have I ever been caught masturbating in public by a mounted police officer!" She sang and Miroku groaned and drank.

"You. My dear. Know ENTIRELY too much about me." He glared at her.

"Do another one Kagome-chan!" Shippo laughed. "This is hilarious!"

Inuyasha was staring at Miroku slack-jawed in a mixture of awe and disgust. So far the houshi had been called out on more things than he could even think of, and Kagome seemed to have a never-ending supply of little tidbits of information.

"Never have I ever had sex on top of the monkey bars with the vice principal of an elementary school!" Kagome grinned and Miroku scowled. "Never have I ever had a devil's threesome in an airplane bathroom!"

"What's a devil's threesome?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'll give you a hint." She winked saucily at him before raising her forefingers like antennae. "How many horns does the devil have?"

"Wha-? Two…? What does-" He broke off, whipping around to face the inebriated houshi. "In an _airplane bathroom?_"

"Enough of this game!" Miroku exclaimed. "What can I do to make you stop Nee-chan?"

"Finish the bottle." Kagome grinned wickedly as Miroku gratefully upended the sake bottle on the table and chugged.

"Nee-chan?" Inuyasha asked Kagome.

"We grew up in the same shrine, my mother and grandpa took Miro-kun in when his parents died."

"Oh… how'd they die?" Inuyasha asked, more quietly. He wasn't sure if it was the right time to be probing into their past but he wanted to know more about Kagome's relationship with Miroku. With a human being as depraved as he was it stood to reason that some of that personality trait would have rubbed off on Kagome, and Inuyasha—loathe though he was to admit it—was protective of his older brother in his own way.

"He and my dad were important members of a political group in the eighties." She stared into her sake cup, her mood considerably more subdued than moments before. "Back when the extremist groups were popping up, do you remember them? I guess you would have been alive at the time."

"Yeah. I don't remember what they were callin themselves but both were about the 'pure race', one representing taiyoukai and one representing the humans. It… wasn't a really good time to be a hanyou."

"I guess not." Kagome drained her cup before setting it down carefully. "Anyway, daddy and Mr. Murasaki were part of a group that wanted to support the peace and encourage greater understanding among the two races."

"I remember them! That was the group that didn't get national recognition until four of its members were-… oh." Inuyasha stared at Kagome. "That was…?"

"My dad and his assistant, a boy named Sousuke Hiu, and Miro-kun's mother and father." She smiled suddenly, taking Inuyasha off-guard. "Mama would have been there too but someone had to stay home with me, Miro-kun and my brother Souta."

"Kagome… I'm sorry." Inuyasha hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Nah, it's okay, really, it's ancient history." Kagome shrugged. "I used to be mad about it but then I decided to do something to keep it from happening again and started studying interspecies diplomacy."

"Wait. Your doctorate is in interspecies diplomacy? Then you must know all about taiyoukai!" Inuyasha exclaimed, excited at the prospect that his brother wouldn't have to 'train' his mate in their ways.

"Oh yeah, I know all about them. Like courting rituals." Her gaze narrowed at him and lost any glaze that the alcohol had given them. "And how to differentiate between mated and unmated youkai… and hanyous."

"Wow that… oh… SHIT." Inuyasha winced and his ears flattened against his skull.

"I also know mated youkai never ever cheat on their mates. I'm assuming it's the same for hanyous."

Inuyasha growled at the implication. "Well of course-"

"Which leads me to ask: why were you courting me if you're happily mated with three pups Inuyasha?"


	12. Rocky Road

**I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be updating this story every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday due to school. Schedules are good for my ADD brain and I'm sure you guys like having some idea of when I'll be feeding your addiction ~.^**

**This chapter is dedicated to .substitute, my unofficial beta and comma splice police! :D**

* * *

><p>Sesshoumaru leapt from rooftop to rooftop, blurring his form so anyone who glimpsed him only saw a waver in the air, like a mirage. Silently he cursed his half-brother and kitsune ward. The idiots had allowed the humans to lure them to an institution that served alcohol where they would be much more likely to ruin the particulars of his plan.<p>

It had been such a good plan too. Inuyasha would keep feeding Kagome the waiting-until-graduation story, thus keeping her single until Sesshoumaru was able to court her openly and sweep her off her feet. Now he'd probably have to come up with a whole new plan.

His train of thought was interrupted as a familiar figure in a red button-down shirt and jeans leapt to the roof in front of him, emerging from the bar that he'd tracked Inuyasha and Shippo's scents to.

The figure was given away by the unmistakable presence of dog-like ears perched atop his head and the characteristic look of panic that Sesshoumaru had come to associate with his half-brother.

"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's voice froze the hanyou who slowly pivoted on the spot. "What happened?"

"She knows!"

Sesshoumaru suppressed a growl at his half-brother's vague explanation. "She knows _what_ exactly?"

"She knows I'm mated! And she knows about my pups!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and caught his chin in thought. He should have known that Kagome—who had been studying taiyoukai for years—would be extremely familiar with their culture. As a reiki user she would be able to see that Inuyasha's aura carried the presence of his mate's influence.

"How did she find out about Tsubasa, Yuki and Tanken?" Sesshoumaru asked, half-suspecting his idiot half-brother had pulled out his wallet to show off pictures of his three pups.

Tsubasa, Inuyasha's eldest daughter, was dating Shippo. Sesshoumaru knew that the kitsune wanted to take her as a mate but the bond was a permanent one and they were both still considered to be quite young by the standards of taiyoukai royalty. Yuki, the middle child and Inuyasha's only son, was attending Dartmouth in the United States and took more after his mother than his father. Tanken was the baby of the family, she and Rin were close to the same age and inseparable and she was Sesshoumaru's secret favorite of Inuyasha's pups. He even had been given the honor of naming her.

"A stupid drinking game." Inuyasha growled and Sesshoumaru was brought back to the matter at hand. "She said it'd help her learn more about me since I was courting her and all."

"You are NOT courting her." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously and Inuyasha held up his hands quickly to placate the taiyoukai.

"Hey! I know that! And now so does she!"

"How much does she know?" Sesshoumaru looked over the roof's edge and scanned with his youki, looking for Kagome's distinctive aura.

"She asked why I'd be courtin her if I was mated with pups and that's when I ran." Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Sesshoumaru's incredulous look. "Hey bro, you did it too, and now I know why. That girl is crazy."

Before he could blink Inuyasha was dangling over the edge of the roof by his throat.

"She is NOT crazy."

"Crazy… smart! Crazy… gorgeous!" Inuyasha amended quickly while gasping for breath.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru tossed him back on the rooftop where he landed on his feet.

"Man, you got it BAD." Inuyasha rubbed his throat. "So I've had a rough ass night and if you don't need me for anything else I'm goin home. Tanken made me promise to read her favorite book tonight. Which I still cannot believe you bought her."

"The Art of War is a timeless wealth of knowledge." Sesshoumaru waved him off, effectively dismissing him and within moments he was alone.

He waited for the others to emerge and when they did not he got annoyed. It didn't matter that they had no idea of his presence—to him timeliness was godliness and in his opinion, they were late.

Another half hour passed before his temper got the better of him. He called on his human illusion, making his hair appear shorter so his ponytail only reached mid-back and changing his eyes from their usual predatory gold. He finally rounded his ears and hid his markings underneath a tone of skin darker than his natural moonlight-kissed complexion.

He surveyed the people going into the bar, eyeing their clothing before removing his suit jacket and tie, unbuttoning the collar of his shirt to expose his collarbone. He pulled his wallet and phone out of his jacket and pocketed them before reluctantly leaving the extra garments on the rooftop and dropping down onto the rocky road of the alley below.

Lastly he shielded all of his youki and entered the bar. It was still early enough that the presence of a bouncer was not needed and he scanned the room, sorting through the mingling auras and scents to find Kagome.

Her presence shone brilliantly among the crowd and he found her on the dance floor with Shippo and Miroku. The houshi was clearly inebriated and relied heavily on two young women who seemed more than happy to allow his hands to wander while they returned the favor. Shippo on the other hand was sober, which surprised Sesshoumaru as the kit had been legally able to drink for nearly five hundred years. He and Kagome were dancing playfully, with none of the sexual overtones that the other couples on the dance floor positively reeked.

Sesshoumaru settled in a corner of the bar and watched his future mate and ward sing and dance like no one else was present. The sight made the corner of his mouth twitch in an unfamiliar way.

It didn't take long for Shippo to pick up on his mentor's scent and he searched the darkened room until his eyes fell on Sesshoumaru. He said something to Kagome that even Sesshoumaru couldn't hear over the music and left her.

The second the kit left Kagome's side another male moved in to fill the space and Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. It was a human, middle-aged with wavy black hair, in a polo shirt and slacks. The taiyoukai lord could break him with barely a thought but he waited to see what his ward wanted, eyes never leaving his future mate's face.

"Hi Sesshoumaru-sama!" Shippo exclaimed. "I wanted to ask what sneaky alias you wanted to go by so I know what to call you around Kagome-chan."

He frowned, gaze still fixed before the kitsune's words filtered into his hyper-focused brain. He thought about it and decided that disguising himself to court her was a much better plan than having Inuyasha court her. Contact would have to be extremely limited to keep his instincts in check but if he could just keep her interested and single then his goal would still be accomplished.

A name jumped out at him, one he'd heard on Rin's most recent anime obsession that she'd made him watch with her when it got scary. "Naru. Naru Shibuya."

"Naru… how appropriate." Shippo grinned.

A growl built in Sesshoumaru's throat as the man invaded Kagome's personal space and started grinding his hips suggestively. Kagome backed up a step uncomfortably and tried to tell the human something but he just grinned and nodded, disregarding her defensive body language. When he captured Kagome's arms in his hands Sesshoumaru started weaving his way towards them. His steps sped up as the man ignored Kagome's attempt to wrench free and infuriated expression.

Any thought of plans and tact flew out of Sesshoumaru's mind as he saw his mate being man-handled and one word echoed forcefully through his mind as he approached them.

_Mine!_


End file.
